Chlorophyll

The Green Party Annual Meeting several weekends went quite well. There were still some rough edges -- like California insisting on an hour to talk about Presidential politics -- but overall, it was noticeably smoother than in the past. Even the hour of talking turned into venting at the mic, but then it was over, and things were quiet.

I was able to talk to a number of GDI folks. I had lengthy talks with a number of individuals that, three years ago, I wouldn't have stayed in the room with. There are a few outliers left. One person, who will remain nameless, sad in the plenary that words like "community" and "party-building" were very worrying to him, because this is really about "kicking the other parties, and kicking them hard."

I was left with the impression that there is a breach forming within GDI between those close to the ISO and those alienated by it. It appears that the hyper-confrontationalism, tortured logic, and other generally shady tactics the GDI saddled itself with early on were a direct result of that relationship. As one GDIer has figured out, "when we lose our temper, we lose votes." As a result, the comments made by GDIers in both large and small groups in Reading came off as far more lucid and constructive than in years past. In fact, there were points where GDIers set the curve for being helpful.

I saw old friends I haven't seen in years, like Brent White, Phil Huckleberry (who came in first for the SC), Holly Hart (who was
re-elected as Secretary in the first round), Marc Sanson, Dean Myerson, Matt Abel, Harley Mikkelson, Annie Young, Lynne Serpe, Anita Rios, Jenefer Ellingston, Tony Affigne, Jody Haug, Carl Romanelli, Brent McMillan, Mike Feinstein, Hugh Esco, Greg Gerritt, Art and Linda Myatt, Steve Kramer, Scott McClarty, Steve Welzer, and so on. I also met some folks I only knew by name, like Kat Swift, Rebecca Rotzler, Dee Taylor, and a handful of others. Naturally, I met quite a few new folks, including a handful (and a Presidential pre-candidate) from the WV Mountain Party, the newest addition to the GPUS. The Montana GP was also supposed to be inducted, but I heard some mention that no one remembers seeing that actually happen.

I met the venerable Richard Stallman, and then went to his presentation. I expected 3-4 people to be there, but it was ten times that. One of the folks there was a blogger who wants to become a Green.

The only big news from the plenary sessions was the SC election. Phil was first, as I said, then someone named Kristen who wasn't at the meeting at all. Then came Bud Dickinson and Jason something, both of whom I heard good things about from trustworthy sources.

The real news, of course, was the appearance of both Ralph and Cynthia -- on different days. They didn't overlap, though the word is they've been talking. Ralph appeared Saturday night at the generously-named "Super-Rally" without fanfare and sat behind the merchandise table chatting with whoever was nearby for quite a while before most people in the room realized he was there. Finally, he got up and spoke, and did a pretty good job. He cited an even mix of experiences from 2000 and 2004, and got a lot of standing ovations, even though little of it was new. He did an auction at the end, and raised $3700 right on the spot... for the party! The guy who bid highest had been standing out front with a sign listing "Rules for Ralph," which earned him a lot of dirty looks from GDIers. Ralph also gave the same items (a pen and book) the second-place bidder for what they had offered. After he was done, some people chanted "Go, we go," and others chanted "Run, Ralph, run."

The next afternoon was Cynthia's turn. She got a standing ovation just for walking into the room. Then we all watched "American Blackout," which was pretty well done. It was about voter disenfranchisement, primarily of African-Americans, and also centered partly on her most recent races. Then she talked and took questions. She has raised almost making a promise, but not quite, to an art. Again and again, she said things like "We need to continue this conversation," and "I know I'm preaching to the choir, but you need to fit me for a robe and give me the sheet music." Most of the people who asked questions were enthusiastically in favor of her running, and made no secret of it.

There was a good bit of talk about a "Black-Brown" alliance for '08. Presumably, this would entail a Latino VP. Word went around during the convention that Matt Gonzalez had agreed to let his name be thrown in the ring. Something like that could drive a serious wedge into the Democratic Party... assuming Cynthia agrees to it. Even supporters recognize that her background and ours are very different -- a little in ideology, but a lot in sophistication, culture, and campaign style.

We also know that we will have to work desperately hard to get a
campaign infrastructure up and running in a year. If, however, we had a ticket that appealed to African-Americans, Latinos, women, and genuine progressives, it could really throw the Dems for a loop -- and we'd also be in a much better position to get in the debates.